Millions more drivers are expected on the roads this coming bank holiday weekend, bringing bumper-to-bumper traffic on some popular routes.

The RAC warns that it may even turn out to be busier on the roads than last year, with many more people returning home this weekend after a ‘staycation’

An estimated 18 million leisure trips will be made by car this weekend, up 1.8 million on last year; most likely as a result of more people returning from UK-based holidays but also due to Brits heading away for the long weekend or going out for day trips. Separate RAC research conducted at the start of August found more than a quarter of drivers (28%) said they planned on taking more daytrips than last year.

Friday is expected to be the busiest day on the roads in terms of traffic levels; drivers are planning an estimated 5.6 million trips on this day, followed by Saturday (4.7 million) and bank holiday Monday itself (4.4 million). Sunday is likely to be the quietest day, with 3.7 million leisure journeys by car expected.

One positive note is that Highways England will be, as usual, lifting roadworks for the bank holiday; 97% of the road network it manages will be free from roadworks over the weekend.

Warning that this year’s August bank holiday could be busier on the roads than last year, RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis added: “Both official Government statistics and our own data from insurance customers show that weekend traffic is now back to pre-lockdown levels. The numbers of people breaking down are also around where we would expect them to be for late August. It’s clear therefore that despite the pandemic, the car has been a vital part of making sure many people have been able to enjoy the summer safely.”